blue rock » the blog

So, it’s no secret…I took a vacation. A long one. After months of single parenting, business, and the holidays…I needed one. I haven’t even checked my emails in the past month. No facebook. No blogging. No photo editing. Nada. (If you’ve emailed me…look for a response in the next day or two). But, that doesn’t mean I’ve been lolling about the house eating bon-bons…though I have enjoyed a couple of days of that (and it was darn fun!). We’ve been out and about…sightseeing, board gaming, socializing…and just becoming “normal” human beings again. Here is a glimpse of our adventures this past month. They’ve been oh-s0-fun…but this last week I could feel the pull of real life tugging at me. It’s time to buckle up for another great year! Stay tuned!

Kevin’s mom, Carol, came to hang out with Teri and help her regain her sanity before the holidays. In mid-December, we made the trek to Leeds Castle for their holiday decor…Carol’s first castle visit ever…and then took the ferry to Europe to enjoy the German Christmas market in Aachen. The food was amazing…and we didn’t stop eating from the moment we arrived!

Teri’s whole family made the trek across the “pond” for Christmas. It was awesome to have us all squished together here in our English Cottage. So many fun memories! We took a trip to London and had a BLAST on the London Eye. We also saw the Tower of London and Big Ben…and experienced a double decker bus ride. (Not to mention we froze our tooshies off during the coldest, snowiest week we’ve ever experienced in England).  

We had way too much fun watching Weslee open presents.

We took some quick family pics in Bury St. Edmunds before hitting the pub for lunch.

We took a trip to Bath. We had tea and hot chocolate at the Jane Austen Museum, toured the Roman Baths, and I even enjoyed an evening with the girls at the Thermae Spa in Bath. We had fun floating around in the thermal pools and chatting it up while Dad and Kevin shopped.

We braved the freezing rain and wind at Stonehenge.

We marvelled at the tallest spire in England at Salisbury Cathedral and learned about the signing of the Magna Carta.

The earth has undergone her yearly journey… a full rotation around the sun. The leaves look exactly as they did when we arrived here last year. The crab apples hang thick on the trees. The rain has begun in earnest and the earth is often moist, even in the sunshine. The breeze carries with it the smell of moss and mouldering piles of leaf and plant matter. Smoke twirls lazily from the neighboring chimneys. The days have grown dark and quiet…and I have time for reflection.

The year has been an interesting one. On one hand, it has been the most exciting of my married life. I have seen places I’ve only ever read about in books. I’ve climbed to the top of the Duomo in Florence, Italy; felt the stiff salty breeze at the Irish coast; listened to the clamor of bagpipes during the Highland Games in Scotland. I’ve had the privilege of skiing on pristine, newfallen snow in the Bavarian Alps and I’ve gazed upon the lights of Paris, wrapped in the arms of my one true love atop the Eiffel Tower (and got to giggle at him when I learned that he’s actually a little afraid of heights…who knew?)

I finally took the plunge and began a photography business in earnest. It’s still amazing sometimes for me to look back and see where I was just a short year ago. I was so insecure with my ability. So afraid to tell people about my talent. (Thank heavens for a wonderful husband who has cheered and encouraged me every step of the way). It’s been so liberating to get out there and make my dreams a reality. I’ve grown so much, not just as a photographer, but as a person. My self esteem has climbed a far distance. I feel like I’ve conquered the world each time I come home from another shoot with awesome images…images that have been clamoring in my head, just waiting to be made reality. It’s been a very exciting year in that regard.

We began the adoption process again. We haven’t finished it (Kevin has been gone too much and I have had so many WONDERFUL photography clients, we just haven’t had a chance to finish it all…but, I began the paperwork again today). I’m a little afraid of having two kiddos. My little Weslee can keep my hoppin’ all by himself. I worry about what two will do. But, I have faith that it will all work out. I’m pretty sure every mom feels this way at some point or another when adding to the family.

This year has been trying in its own right too, however. My husband has been gone more than he ever has before. Almost every moment he’s been home, we’ve travelled and made memories…but by the time December rolls around, I will have spent about 7 1/2 months without him this year. My heart has never ached so deeply for so long. Our son has missed him a great deal too…and I’ve done my best to be both mom (hugs, making cookies, crafts, reading books) and dad (wrestling, playing soccer, tickle wars). Sometimes I’m better at it than others. But, as I look back on the year, I’m amazed at how much the painful separation process has stretched me as a person. Patience, generosity, empathy, charity, strength, faith…are all virtues that have come in it’s wake. I can feel myself growing as a person and can’t help but realize, this was all part of a grander design.

So, as we crunch the leaves beneath our feet and say goodbye to a year past, I’m thankful for the journey…the happy and sad, the bitter and sweet, the ups and the downs…and all that it’s brought to my life.